Topic  Blood Culture Collection Guidelines

Pre • Specimen should be drawn PRIOR to
Collection antibiotic therapy, if possible.
Notes • Always collect the blood cultures first to
avoid contamination when the specimen is
Blood Culturecollected
Bluewith
Capother lab blood
BacT/Alert SAtests.
(aerobic)
Set: • Proper site
bottle preparation and aseptic
collection techniques are essential for blood
Collect one of Purple Cap BacT/Alert SN (anaerobic)
culture collection
each: bottle
• If the blood culture and other laboratory
blood tests need to be collected at the same
time, the blood culture should always be the
first bottles/tube(s) collected to avoid
contamination of the sample.
Pre Collection Notes
Blood
Culture  
Collection
Set
Recommen Obtain two (2) separate sets of blood
ded cultures 30 minutes apart from two (2)
Collection separate collection sites.
for a Blood
Culture top of page
Collection Adults
Containers Containers:
and One (1) blue cap BacT/ALERT SA ™
Specimen (aerobic) bottle
Volumes One (1) purple cap BacT/ALERT SN ™
(anaerobic) bottle 
Volume: Total 10-20 ml per venipuncture
(split evenly between both bottles); Fill each
bottle with 5-10 ml of blood; Note: do not
overfill bottles with more than 10ml in each
bottle

Children
Container:
One (1) yellow cap BacT/ALERT PF™
(aerobic) bottle; No anaerobic bottle
necessary
Volume: Total 1-4 ml per venipuncture; Fill
bottle with entire blood sample; Note: do not
overfill bottle with more than 4ml of blood. 

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Physician Used for patients on antibiotics at the time
Request for blood cultures are ordered
Antibiotic Containers: One (1) Green cap
Removal  BacT/ALERT FA™ (aerobic) bottle 
One (1) Purple cap BacT/ALERT ™ SN
(anaerobic) bottle
Volume: Fill each bottle with 5-10 ml of
blood 
Difficult Adults 
Sticks and When the entire specimen collected is less
Low than 6 ml of blood
Volume Containers: One (1) blue cap BacT/ALERT
Draws SA ™  (aerobic) bottle only
Volume: Place the entire sample in the